Demarcation of anxiety and fear: Evidence from behavioral genetics.

Anxiety and fear are emotions often intertwined in response to aversive stimuli, complicating efforts to differentiate them and understand their distinct consequences. This study explores the common genetic and environmental factors contributing to the co-occurrence of anxiety disorders and dimensions of the revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (rRST). A sample of 356 monozygotic (22.

Assessing conspiracist beliefs across societies: Validation of the Serbian adaptation of the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS).

Initial validation of the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS) identified five correlated factors: Government Malfeasance, Malevolent Global Conspiracies, Extraterrestrial Cover-up, Personal Well-being and Control of Information. Despite replications of this structure, ensuing research, mostly using translated versions of the GCBS (i.e.

Differences in DNA methylation in monozygotic twins on phenotypic indicators of impulsivity.

Epigenetic modifications of the membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase (-) gene may affect the enzymatic degradation of dopamine, and consequently, human behavior. This study investigated the association between membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase DNA methylation (DNAm) differences in 92 monozygotic (MZ) twins with phenotypic manifestations of cognitive, behavioral, and personality indicators associated with reward-related behaviors and lack of control. We used pyrosequencing to determine DNAm of the regulatory region of membrane bound catechol-O-methyltransferase in saliva DNA.

Personality and context-related factors of helping and helping-related affect during early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic led to introduction of lockdown measures in many countries, while in Serbia the Government also introduced the curfew by which vulnerable groups of citizens were prohibited from leaving their homes at any time. In such a situation many citizens organized to voluntarily offer their help to those in isolation, which offered a unique opportunity to examine prosocial behavior in the natural setting of global crisis. This study examined the differences between non-helpers and helpers, as well as groups of helpers who provided their help to close or unknown others, in personality (prosocial tendencies, selfishness and communal narcissism) and context-related factors (situation specific empathy and fear) of prosocial behaviors.

The Revised Assessment of Sadistic Personality (ASP-8): Evidence for Validity across Four Countries.

Subclinical sadism, characterized by infliction of cruelty, aggression, or humiliation on another for subjugation or pleasure, provides important information in the prediction of aversive behaviors that have implications for individuals' and society's well-being worldwide. Given sadism's universal relevance, it is imperative that researchers ensure valid and reliable trait measurement not only among English-speaking individuals, but also cross-nationally among countries in which sadism remains relatively understudied. The objective of the current research was to validate the revised version of the Assessment of Sadistic Personality (ASP-8) (Plouffe et al.

Dark Tetrad and COVID-19 protective measures: Mediating effects of risk-taking tendencies.

Previous research has shown that Dark Triad traits are tied to non-compliance, while there is not enough research regarding sadism. As dark traits are related to risk-taking behaviors, we hypothesized that proneness to risk-taking could be a mediating mechanism explaining the relation between dark traits and non-compliance with protective measures. Sample comprised of 348 participants (77% women) who completed the Hateful Eight (a multifaceted Short Dark Tetrad scale), DOSPERT for measuring different aspects of risk-taking tendencies, and questions regarding frequency of compliance with protection measures and vaccination.

Effects of Physical Activity and Training Routine on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Curfew.

This research aimed to explore the effects of physical activity and training routine on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and the proclaimed emergency state and curfew. To measure the mental health components of psychological distress and subjective well-being, two studies were conducted on different samples: Study 1 during the beginning of curfew in Serbia ( = 678) and Study 2 during the ending phase ( = 398). The results of Study 1 showed that elite athletes as well as those with high level of physical activity experienced the lowest distress.

COVID-19 Protective Behaviors Are Forms of Prosocial and Unselfish Behaviors.

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of prosocial and antisocial personality tendencies and context-related state factors on compliance with protective behaviors to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections. Six types of prosocial tendencies (altruism, dire, compliant, emotional, public, and anonymous) and selfishness as the antisocial tendency were included as personality factors, while fear related to the pandemic and empathy toward vulnerable groups (i.e.

Cross-cultural Validity of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire Among Adults Across Five Countries.

This study aims to test psychometric properties and factor invariance of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) for adults across five countries: Serbia ( = 409), Mauritius ( = 400), the United States ( = 389), the Netherlands ( = 372), and China ( = 325). The results supported the two-factor structure across country samples, with a marginal model fit in Mauritius. Results also supported the congruent factor structure of Reactive Aggression scale across countries, while the Proactive Aggression scale can be considered as equal across samples from Serbia, the United States, and China, but not from Mauritius and the Netherland.

Twin study of laboratory-induced aggression.

The aim of this study was to explore genetic and environmental contributions to laboratory-induced aggressive behavior. On a sample of 478 adult twins (316 monozygotic), the Competitive Reaction Time Task was used for aggression induction. The results showed that the initial, basic level of aggression could be explained by both shared (45%) and nonshared environmental factors (55%), while only nonshared environmental factors (100%) had a significant influence on changes in aggression as provocation increased.

Serbian Twin Registry.

The first twin study in Serbia began in 2011 as a part of the research project, 'Psychological Foundations of Mental Health: Hereditary and Environmental Factors'. At the same time, the research team from the Faculty of Philosophy and Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad established the first Serbian twin registry. The registry is intended primarily for the purpose of the research in behavioral genetics, as well as potential future studies in human genetics.

Analysis on the risk factors for organ damage in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross-sectional single-center experience.

Background: Organ damage in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) occurs as a consequence of the disease itself, the therapy applied and the accompanying conditions and complications. Organ damage predicts further organ damage and is associated with an increased risk of death.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the degree of irreversible organ changes in SLE patients, using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) damage index (SDI); to establish correlations between organ damage and disease activity, quality of life, intensity of fatigue and serological factors; and to ascertain the risk factors for organ damage.

An Item Response Theory Analysis and Further Validation of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ): The Serbian Adaptation of the RPQ.

The aim of this study was to further explore the psychometric properties of the Serbian adaptation of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) using item response theory to gain insight into measurement precision (information) and differential item functioning (DIF) across sexes. The sample consisted of 1,268 community-dwelling adults. Results confirmed a 2-factor structure and showed good reliabilities.

Five-Factor Model Best Describes Narcissistic Personality Inventory Across Different Item Response Formats.

The objective of this research was to validate the Narcissistic Personality Inventory across different response formats, given that several factor structures were proposed, ranging from two to seven factors. The original forced-choice format of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory was given to 410 participants and a modified, i.e.

The HEXACO Personality Inventory: Validation and Psychometric Properties in the Serbian Language.

The aim of this research is to validate the HEXACO model of personality in the Serbian language through psychometric validation of the 100-item version of the HEXACO-PI-R. The research was conducted on 2 independent samples, the first comprising 1,217 participants from a community sample (55.5% females; average age = 31.

Boerhaave syndrome - case report.

Context:: Boerhaave syndrome consists of spontaneous longitudinal transmural rupture of the esophagus, usually in its distal part. It generally develops during or after persistent vomiting as a consequence of a sudden increase in intraluminal pressure in the esophagus. It is extremely rare in clinical practice.

School bullying in adolescence and personality traits: a person-centered approach.

This study examined the differences in personality traits between the clusters reflecting the roles in violent interactions among high school students. The sample included 397 students (51.1% male) of Serbian nationality from the first to the fourth grades of different high schools.

The role of duodenogastric reflux in formation of precarcinogenic gastric lesions--an experimental study.

Introduction: Duodenogastric reflux, commonly encountered as an aftermath of gastroenteroanastomosis, with or without gastric resection (Billroth I, Billroth II), vagotomy and pyloroplastic surgery, is known to cause inflammatory-dystrophic-metaplastic lesions of gastric mucosa. Our objective was to determine the effects of surgery-induced duodenogastric reflux on the development of precarcinogenic lesions or carcinoma in correlation with the reflux duration.

Material And Methods: The experiment was performed on three groups of Wistar rats with 1) Billroth II-induced reflux surgery, 2) resection of the Rouxr-en-Y type reconstruction, and 3) control group with no resection.

Rapunzel syndrome.

Introduction: Trichobezoars are foreign bodies in gastrointestinal tract, composed of hair. They occur mainly in children and adolescents suffering from trichotillophagia. They commonly occur in the stomach, but as they enlarge over time, they can extend through the pylorus into distal parts of the small intestine resembling a tail.

[Paleoserological study of human bone remains from archaeological locations in Serbia].

Paleoserological investigations make possible "biological reconstruction" of old populations and comparison of their characteristics with corresponding characteristics of contemporary population on the same area. The work presents results of the investigation of ABO system blood group distribution from the following archaeological locations: Vlasac (5000 B. C.

[A new case of D/D blood].

A second case of the -D-/-D- blood in this country is described. A woman, belonging to this rare blood group is from the same region, from which is the first our case published 15 years ago.